Creamy Shrimp Pasta Salad

This quick and easy creamy Shrimp Pasta Salad is a fantastic side dish to try this summer. It’s creamy, refreshing, and made with a simple yogurt mayonnaise dressing. 

Creamy pasta salads are a favorite in our house, especially for a quick lunch. It’s hearty, delicious, and can put together in no time. Prepping ahead can make it easier for you to prepare this salad quickly on a busy day.

Apart from Creamy Shrimp Pasta Salad, we love making Tuna Macaroni Salad. These two salads frequently appear on our menu. It is a great salad to serve during lunch, dinner, or a summer get together. Sometimes we like having it as a main for lunch.

Ingredients for Creamy Shrimp Pasta Salad

This Creamy Shrimp Pasta Salad has easy to find ingredients, and you can also use any veggies you have in hand. To make it vegan, leave the shrimp out, add a small can of chickpeas, and replace yogurt and mayo with vegan yogurt and vegan mayo. 

Pasta –  I used gnocchi pasta shells, you can use any short pasta like macaroni, medium shells, ditalini, or farfalle. The pasta should be cooked and cooled for this cold salad. 

Shrimp –  I used peeled fresh shrimp and cooked them with a little butter, garlic, and paprika. However, you can use cooked prawns. If you don’t like shrimp, replace it with some grilled chicken or with a can of chickpeas for a vegan option. 

Veggies – This salad includes some cucumber, cherry tomatoes, green bell pepper, and red onions. I used the vegetables I had in hand. Alternatively, you can use carrots, sweet peppers, broccoli, summer squash, steamed green beans, regular tomatoes, or shredded cabbage. 

Dressing Ingredients 

Yogurt –  This recipe calls for regular full-fat yogurt. However, you can use greek yogurt or vegan yogurt. 

Mayonnaise –  I used garlic mayo if you don’t have garlic mayo in hand feel free to use regular mayo, and add a clove of finely chopped garlic. Don’t like garlic in your salad, leave the garlic out, and add regular mayo.

Lime Juice-  Adding fresh lime juice gives a burst of flavor to the salad. But you can add lemon juice instead. If you like more zing in your salad, I would suggest having a wedge of lime on the side. 

Mustard – Use regular yellow mustard or Dijon mustard. 

Spices – I like adding a little cayenne pepper for a punch. Adding ground black pepper is a must and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to balance the flavors. 

How to make Creamy Shrimp Pasta Salad

1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and cool it. 
2. Make the dressing – In a small bowl, mix yogurt, mayo, lime juice, yellow mustard, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt. 
3. Prep the veggies –  finely chop the onions, dice the green bell pepper, quarter the cherry tomatoes and slice the cucumber. 
4.  Assemble the Salad – Add the cooled pasta in a large salad bowl with 2 Tablespoons of dressing. Mix well to coat the pasta evenly with dressing. 
5. Next, add the cooked shrimp, chopped veggies, and the remaining salad dressing into the salad bowl and mix until everything is well coated. 
6.  Serve and enjoy!

Creamy Shrimp Pasta Salad

Recipe by Ruwani Ravin KumarCourse: Sides, SaladsCuisine: American

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

14

minutes

This quick and easy creamy Shrimp Pasta Salad is a fantastic side dish to try this summer. It’s creamy, refreshing, and made with a simple yogurt mayonnaise dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 pound / 480g cooked and peeled shrimp

• 1/2 pound / 250g pasta cooked ( gnocchi pasta/ macaroni/ bowtie)

• 3 – small cucumbers sliced

• 8- 10 cherry tomatoes quartered

• 1/2 green bell pepper finely diced

• 1/2 small red onion finely chopped

• Yogurt Mayo Dressing

• 5 Tablespoons full-fat yogurt

• 3 Tablespoons Garlic Mayonnaise

• 2 teaspoons lime/lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon yellow/dijon mustard

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper/ paprika

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and cool it.
• Make the dressing – In a small bowl, mix yogurt, mayo, lime juice, yellow mustard, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt.
• Prep the veggies – finely chop the onions, dice the green bell pepper, quarter the cherry tomatoes and slice the cucumber.
• Assemble the Salad – Add the cooled pasta in a large salad bowl with 2 Tablespoons of dressing. Mix well to coat the pasta evenly with dressing.
• Next, add the cooked shrimp, chopped veggies, and the remaining salad dressing into the salad bowl and mix until everything is well coated.
• Keep the Salad chilled in the refrigerator until you serve.

Notes

• If you don’t have garlic mayo in hand feel free to use regular mayo and add a clove of finely chopped garlic. Don’t like garlic in your salad, leave the garlic out, and add regular mayo.
• To make it Vegan, leave the shrimp out, add a small can of chickpeas, and replace the yogurt and mayo with vegan yogurt and vegan mayo.